[Ohio Enthusiast]

Anyone has a recommendation for closed-back headphones that sound similar to the K702?
I've had my K702's for several years (driven by Meizu Hi-Fi DAC and an Audient Evo 4 interface (for monitoring)) and I love them a lot. I especially appreciate the sound stage (which I know I can't replicate with closed-backs) and clarity/brightness (particularly higher notes of piano and violins in concertos).
Sadly local shops don't really have many options to test, so my personal experience is not too broad.
I did try a Sony MDR-Z7M2 which wasn't as clear/bright as the K702 and felt somewhat muddy. Similar experience with my old Audio Technica M50x and with a friend's Sennheiser HD650 (yes, I know these are open-backs). My wife's beyerdynamic DT770 M (not Pro) are significantly worse, super muddy and lacking detail (but we got them specifically for isolation and not for music quality).
I've also been playing around with equalization (mostly based on oratory1990's list) and I think that I really appreciate the 2-3 KHz bump on the K702 - when adding a similar bump in the EQ it help "unmuddy" the other headphones. This "shoutiness" is typically seen as an issue with headphones, and I can't find much appreciation for this sound signature online.
Based on reading reviews and suggestions and frequency response graphs I'm thinking about Shure SRH1540 (but am worried about the mid-bass) and Audio Technica M70x (but worried about them not being enough of an upgrade over the M50x that I already have) and very open to suggestions.
Goal is music listening with some noise isolation (don't need anything crazy (I have ER3SE for that) but need better than open-backed). Genre is classical and the occasional pop/light rock.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

I would suggest the AKG K553s. From reviews, they seem to have improved bass over the original K550s, which I have both the original and MKIIIs which don't sound any different. They are very open sounding, but don't quite have the punch that the K702 did (I no longer have them). The K553 probably will have as much at the K702, possible more. The K550+k553 series certainly have better lower bass extension anyway as they are closed back.

I had for quite some time been thinking about the M70x and I also think they would be an appropriate upgrade for you regarding sound. Reading reviews, they sound much more detailed and bright than the M50x and seem like they are much more like the sound of the K702. I have the Beyerdynamic DT880s and they are also pretty similar to the K702.

The thing that totally puts me off the M70x is that the build quality is terrible. They look a far slimmer build than the M40, M50, and all of the x models too and have had a huge quantity of reviews of them breaking in very little time. Given the huge price difference, the build should be better still, not worse.

Anyway, I think The K553 will be best for you.

 

[Ohio Enthusiast]

The K553 probably will have as much at the K702, possible more. The K550+k553 series certainly have better lower bass extension anyway as they are closed back.

Yes, after many more hours of reading recommendation, looking at frequency response graphs and perusing reviews the K55X series seems to be a great closed back companion to the K7XX series.

I had for quite some time been thinking about the M70x and I also think they would be an appropriate upgrade for you regarding sound. Reading reviews, they sound much more detailed and bright than the M50x and seem like they are much more like the sound of the K702.

I was quite surprised from reviewers saying how different the M70x sounds vs the M50x and M40x.

The thing that totally puts me off the M70x is that the build quality is terrible. They look a far slimmer build than the M40, M50, and all of the x models too and have had a huge quantity of reviews of them breaking in very little time. Given the huge price difference, the build should be better still, not worse.

Looks like they aimed at lighter weight and sacrificed build quality for it (although one wonders why not just retain the tried-and-true M50x/M40x headband and cup attachment mechanism). I'll be using these headphones only at my desk at home, so I'm not too worried about this, but still a valid point to consider.

Thanks for the feedback, the M70x and K553 MKII are at the top of my list now (having dropped the SRH1540 due to too much bass intrusion to the mids). I still can't find a place that will have any of these (or even any at all) closed-back headphones to audition, so I'll be buying "deaf".

 

[RuslanG]

I'm also looking towards M70x, will take them as a pair to R70x while still available

 

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Reporting back about the K553 MKII and the M70x - I ended up buying both and testing them for a couple of weeks each. Here're my impressions (especially comparing to K702):

• K553 MKII - very comfortable (slightly less so than the K702, but pretty similar); sound is impacted by cup position on the head (for me best sound was with the cups moved forward vs. the position of the K702 (which aren't affected by position)); decent isolation; sound profile is very similar to K702, but with more bass - at times they sound almost the same; soundstage is wide (not just for closed backs, just plain good in general); still felt muddy on occasion.
• M70x - less comfortable (the angle of the cups doesn't adjust enough; a few nights to stretch them out helped somewhat); good isolation (better than the K553); sound profile is not that similar to K702, with much more emphasis on the highs rather than the high-mids - extremely bright headphones (on the verge of uncomfortable and tinny with some tracks); soundstage is decent; bass is similar to K702, with no muddiness.

The biggest difference between the two headphones for me was that with the K553, I would sometimes find myself thinking "wait, that's not right" or "hmm, this is a little too muddy". It didn't happen often, but would detract from the listening experience. With the M70x it was the opposite - I'd sometimes go "wow, this is nice" or "huh, never noticed that bit before".

I ended up keeping the M70x, but I can easily imagine someone less sensitive to muddiness (or liking more bass) would prefer the K553 MKII.

Incidentally, I had a listening session with a friend with his HD650 and my assorted headphones (K702, K553, M70x) and he really loved the K553 MKII (for the clarity and soundstage - yes, you read that right, a closed back having better soundstage than an open back). I guess his Sennheiser veil has lifted and he ended up borrowing the K553 and then outright buying them from me.

Finally, I still have a few headphones of interest that I'll keep an eye out for - LCD-2 Closed and LCD-XC for closed backs, and Grado headphones for open back. Based on FR graphs and reviews I think I'll like them all, but I'll have to wait before doing additional audiophile spending.

 

[RuslanG]

Reporting back about the K553 MKII and the M70x - I ended up buying both and testing them for a couple of weeks each. Here're my impressions (especially comparing to K702):

• K553 MKII - very comfortable (slightly less so than the K702, but pretty similar); sound is impacted by cup position on the head (for me best sound was with the cups moved forward vs. the position of the K702 (which aren't affected by position)); decent isolation; sound profile is very similar to K702, but with more bass - at times they sound almost the same; soundstage is wide (not just for closed backs, just plain good in general); still felt muddy on occasion.
• M70x - less comfortable (the angle of the cups doesn't adjust enough; a few nights to stretch them out helped somewhat); good isolation (better than the K553); sound profile is not that similar to K702, with much more emphasis on the highs rather than the high-mids - extremely bright headphones (on the verge of uncomfortable and tinny with some tracks); soundstage is decent; bass is similar to K702, with no muddiness.

The biggest difference between the two headphones for me was that with the K553, I would sometimes find myself thinking "wait, that's not right" or "hmm, this is a little too muddy". It didn't happen often, but would detract from the listening experience. With the M70x it was the opposite - I'd sometimes go "wow, this is nice" or "huh, never noticed that bit before".

I ended up keeping the M70x, but I can easily imagine someone less sensitive to muddiness (or liking more bass) would prefer the K553 MKII.

Incidentally, I had a listening session with a friend with his HD650 and my assorted headphones (K702, K553, M70x) and he really loved the K553 MKII (for the clarity and soundstage - yes, you read that right, a closed back having better soundstage than an open back). I guess his Sennheiser veil has lifted and he ended up borrowing the K553 and then outright buying them from me.

Finally, I still have a few headphones of interest that I'll keep an eye out for - LCD-2 Closed and LCD-XC for closed backs, and Grado headphones for open back. Based on FR graphs and reviews I think I'll like them all, but I'll have to wait before doing additional audiophile spending.

M70x is a very precise instrument for professional purposes across the entire frequency range, and in this sense it is better than the R70x. The mids there are no worse than K702 (K612)